emotional problems of any sort. >> right. ha ha! >> so the process was awesome at the end of the day, though. because wrestling with these issues, you know... i'm a mother of two daughters. they're 22 and 24 now. and i think it's important to actually not sort of be seen to be competing with them on some kind of marketplace level. so it was great on many levels but challenging. >> is there still a stigma, linda, about gray hair? i don't see many gray-haired people featured, for example, in the pages of "allure." ha ha! >> they've been there. but there is a stigma. and i think the fact that we're here talking about it talks about the stigma. and i think that there's no question that gray hair is aging. and it's related to aging because it happens when you age. there's no denying that, and that part of it is that you lose the melanin in your hair. and, also, the hair becomes wiry and dry. so it's harder to control and coarser. and so there's--the simple association with age, but there's also this sort of psychological association that you touched on, which is that "she's let herself

go," you know. and i think that by now... >> well, clearly you haven't. >> not you. but, you know, you grapple with that notion. and i think that that is partly because so many americans color their hair. it's over 75%. so that now becomes the reality. and so being natural seems to be the oddity as opposed to... >> right! >> like, my hair's blond. well, maybe it was, but it isn't anymore. but to me, that's who i am... >> i can make a great statement here and let my hair go gray... >> but will you? >> but i don't think i'm going to. maybe, anne. you give me encouragement because you look fantastic. well, thanks to both of you all. and it's time now to intro hair rescue number two. a lot of you sent in videos saying you're curious about going gray, but you didn't know where to begin. so for our second rescue, we picked filomena. >> i used to love my hair. and it was something that everybody talked about and complimented me on. but recently i have been struggling with it because i'm

getting older. so i was actually thinking about going gray, or going natural. i currently color my hair at home with an all-natural dye from whole foods. and at this point, i'm just not sure if that's the best look for me. >> well, filomena, it is time to commit. eva scrivo and her team are working hard to help. >> i now have filomena in my chair. and she wants to grow out her natural gray hair. we're going to add some cool-toned highlights throughout the hair. her natural emerging gray we want to integrate into the rest of her hair and, also, teach filomena how to care for her hair. when the hair starts to lose pigment, it can be very coarse. so home care, a beautiful haircut, and a new makeup palette will really do wonders. >> all right. thank you, eva. and we'll see the new filomena at the end of the show. my next guest, by the way, is one of my favorite people. i can't wait to

ask her "how you doing." i will when we come back. [applause]

[crowd cheering]have some hair issues. and that was a little scary. but if you think i've had a lot of hairstyles over the years, wait until our next guest gets out here. she doesn't just change her hair every year, even every month. sometimes she changes it every single day. >> here's wendy! >> i promised you a wig a day in may. and so every day, i want to do something different for you.

this is my diana ross wig. this wig i call my jaclyn smith. the poppy...blondissimo. 28-inch. so this wig is called serving wendy realness. and i'll tell you why...i love it. [crowd cheers] [applause] >> so, everyone, please welcome the woman of a thousand hairstyles--the one and only wendy williams. [crowd cheering] >> katie! >> hey, wendy. how are you? sit. so nice to have you here. >> i almost tumbled on top of you there. i would have crushed you. hi, everybody. how you doing? >> how you doing? so, listen, you're known for your fabulous hair... >> yes. >> and i know an amazing collection of wigs, which we have some of them here today. but you also brought some pictures with you, which shows everyone your hair before you

started wearing wigs. >> yes. you know, i grew up in new jersey. i do have hair. i have very long hair. it's probably the same length of this wig that i have on right now-- about 18 inches. but it's very thin. what pictures do you have? >> ha ha. "we have pictures." we have early pictures of you with your hair before you started wearing wigs where you felt comfortable with your hair. >> well, it was also, i was a little girl. >> right. but, look, we have those pictures... >> and in the argyle sweater. that's my senior year in high school. >> cute. bangs even. >> the one in the middle is me at my college graduation. and the one all the way is when i was 10 years old. and so as you can see, the hair even when i was 10, i was born with naturally thin hair. >> right. >> and then thyroid disease... >> really made it thin. >> thinned every follicle. >> and so that's why you started wearing wigs... >> it is why. >> when you were diagnosed with thyroid disease. >> yes. >> and it made your hair even finer. >> well, you know, thyroid disease is an attack of the autoimmune system. and one

of the byproducts of thyroid disease, unfortunately, is scary stare where you get the eye pop. so sometimes you have to overcompensate by looking like this or botox. and then the other byproduct is that your hair thins. mine never fell out, but each follicle has gotten so thin. >> and was that traumatic for you because we're so--i know that when friends of mine have had hair loss issues, it's really very traumatic because it really feels like a piece of your body is falling off. was that hard for you? >> well, no. i was diagnosed about 14 years ago. and, fortunately, weaves were-- and still are--the bigger deal even than wigs. and so i did a little weaving. and what i found is that if your hair was already thin, a weave will just take it right out. and your hair care professionals will tell you different, but i'm here to tell you, don't mess around if you have naturally thin hair. wearing wigs was a big, dramatic thing. because i don't even think wigotry--

>> ha ha! >> is even big now. you think of your old aunt myrtle who... >> right. there's still a lot of sort of prejudice against wigs, right? >> there really is. i have to say, though, i've been married for 14 years. i was diagnosed while being with my husband, and i started wearing wigs. so i never dated with a wig on, you know, where a guy is like, and you're, you know. >> you're like, don't touch it! >> oh, my gosh! >> that can work the other way with men and toupees. just saying, you know? >> true. but, you know, when i was diagnosed, i went every place. i went to every hair club. i was willing to break the bank, cut off my right arm for rogaine. i mean, hair is part of our crowning glory. and finally, i just started wearing wigs. >> and you felt comfortable with that. do you ever go wig-free, wendy? or do you wear them all the time? >> well, that's why i was wondering what pictures you have because i know, like, the ups man is not coming to the door with a camera phone. so he's seen me with my natural pompadour on top of my head. you know, i tuck it up. but for the most part, i always wear a wig. they're part of me.

i wear one when i go to the gym. >> yeah. in fact, you name your wigs, a lot of your wigs, right? >> well, when i'm inspired by somebody else--like you saw poppy in that one. poppy montgomery inspired me to be red. and my gayle king wig is the one that i wear to the gym. there it is. [laughter] right? it's like gayle king. >> you do look like gayle king. >> except i'm a long versus a short. so therefore when i wear a short, it's because, you know, i'm either perimenopausal or i'm going to the gym and i'm going to be sweating. >> yeah. >> so that's my gym wig. >> meanwhile we have some facsimiles of your favorite wigs... >> right. >> that your wigmaker gave us. what are these different looks? >> well, antwon, my wigologist-- >> ha ha! >> these are my girls, these pink girls. because if you're gonna wear a wig, you might as well keep it fabulous. this one right here, i love it. i call it the ombre. and here. i'll just turn it around for you. should i-- jerry, are you gonna get this shot? jerry is one of the cameramen on my show, too. i know your cameramen. >> really?! oh, oops. we get the idea. >> that's ok. do you get the idea? >> yeah.

>> it's the ombre, except for-- and i can tell you, i'm not partial to lace-front wigs, katie. i don't like all that gluing. and a lot of people get into wigs and they start doing all kinds of terrible things to their natural hair. >> that looks like the jane seymour. >> you know what? this would probably be the closest to how i am--show wendy, show wendy, which is this wig right here. a lot of hairspray, a lot of, you know, tamed control. and this one to the right is as far as i was able to get with the lisa rinna. >> oh! >> her hair is to die for, but i just could not go that short. so that's my version. i call it the wendy rinna. >> and you're very, very, very particular about your wigs. i asked wendy if i could put on one of her wigs. >> no! >> and she acted like i wanted to put on her underwear... >> yes! >> she is wearing right now. you got very weird. and, remember, i tried to touch your wig... >> yes! >> when i came on your show. and she does not want anybody all up in her wigs. >> only because, you know what? like, i make a lot of jokes about my wigs, and i pull notes out of them on my show. and everybody knows that i wear wigs. >> put snacks in there? ha ha!

>> put snacks. but here's the thing. if you're wearing a wig because you have gone through chemotherapy or because it's a real thing, then you're really not wearing it for costume. you're really wearing it-- because, girls, when i tell you if i take off my wig, there is hair under there, but it's the hair of an older woman. it's very long, but it's not... >> no. >> there's not enough hair to go around. >> and, you know what, i get it. and i totally respect the wig, just so you know. now, you're gonna stick around. >> yes! >> i know you are because for our next segment, you're gonna be involved. but first it's time to check out our final hair rescue candidate. >> i've had super curly hair my whole, entire life. but it just seems as i've got older, it's just gotten, like, crazier and kind of hard to deal with. and it's sort of, like, i'm half-curly, i'm half-straight. i don't really know what i am. and i've tried everything. i've tried relaxers. i've tried deep conditioning treatments. i've tried keratin treatments. i mean, i just would love to find someone who could really cut my hair or if there's some

sort of relaxing treatment that would not make my hair pinstripe, that would just kind of make it, like, cute, sassy curls. ha ha! >> well, eva and her team are hard at work giving gena the cute and sassy curls she's hoping for. let's get a quick update. >> thanks, katie. i can't wait to cut gena's hair because, like many curly girls, they don't have the right shaped curl. they love their natural texture, but they want a beautiful s-pattern. and she has naturally curly hair that is frizzy. and we're going to get rid of that frizz, give it a beautiful shaped haircut, lift it up, give it volume, but also reduce some of the density around the bottom. and today we're going to use color to smooth the frizz. it actually puts a coating on the hair, and it removes frizziness. >> who knew? we're gonna have gena for the big reveal at the end of the show, but up next, a high-tech tool that lets you check out the latest celebrity 'dos on you. so stay with us. that'll be fun, right?

[applause] >> and we're back talking all about hair with my friend wendy williams. and, wendy, it's time to have a little high-tech fun. are you ready for this? >> i'm never done this. i'm so excited. >> ok. well, have you ever wanted to try a celebrity's red carpet look but you worried when it comes to a new hairstyle, there's no turning back? well, believe it or not,

there's an app for that. that's right. our expert on all things digital, brit morin, is here to show us how it works. hi, brit. >> hi, katie. >> this is exciting. all right. so how do you do this? >> ok. so this app is called the "instyle" hairstyle try-on app. >> there's brit. >> and you upload a photo of yourself either from your ipad or you can upload a photo from your computer. this app is available in the ipad store. it's for free. if you don't have an ipad, you can even go to instyle.com under the "hollywood makeover" section and try it there. so once you have your photo in, you want to calibrate where your face is at. so you just move this up into the center of your face. you align it with your eyes and your nose. and then you use these little dots to outline your face. and this is gonna help it determine your face shape. >> does this cost anything? >> no. this is free. >> ok! >> yeah. so i have my face outlined more or less. let's see what my face shape is. i've got a long face shape, apparently. this is really important because different hairstyles work for different people with different faces. so once that's all done,

you can really go to town. >> whoa! >> this is sarah jessica parker's hairstyle. and you see here, you can use these little purple dots to really fit it to your face. i'm from the south, so i generally like to add a little bit of volume up on top. >> i'm from jersey. so do we. >> ha ha ha! >> she wants a little big hair. i don't know, brit. i kind of like your hair better than sarah jessica parker's on you. >> thank you. ok, well, let's see maybe what it looks like on you, shall we? >> oh. >> so we can switch here. >> oh, gosh. >> oh! >> now, you can also change the color of the hair as well, so if you prefer a red tone. >> volume. can you put volume? >> yeah. i need some volume. can you give me some volume, brit? >> absolutely. let's obviously give you some big volume. >> oh! >> can you give me bangs like katie holmes? >> actually, yes. you can click the "style" button. and you can click on "bangs" right here. and from here, there are so many celebrities you can choose from. literally hundreds... >> i kind of like kim kardashian's hair. >> that you can choose from. i missed her, but this one is really popular. >> reese witherspoon?

>> reese witherspoon. this was such a popular hairstyle last year. look how cute you look there. >> i don't think so. i don't know. i don't think so. >> it's amazing! what about braids? how about some miley cyrus for you? >> oh! oh! i look terrible. ok, that's good. anyway, i think we have to wrap this segment up. you have a surprise, right? >> we do have a surprise for you. so, wendy, we know how fabulous your hair is. >> ok. >> we wanted to show what katie might look like with your 'do on. >> oh, katie! ha ha! >> what do you think? how am i doing? >> you don't get to have all the fun. wendy, we're showing you what you look like with katie's hair on as well. >> ok. >> yeah! >> can i just say you look hot? >> i like that hair, but don't get any ideas. i like that. >> i like it. i think that should be your next wig. maybe for your new season. you're starting your fourth season. >> maybe when we do that wig a day--you know what--i need a katie couric in my life. >> i think you do. >> i do. >> and thank you for coming,

wendy. >> thank you, katie. >> thank you. good to see you. >> thank you, everybody! >> and next up, we're gonna tell you about celebrity style in a snap. it's all about extensions. that's right. >> oh, yeah.

[applause] >> ok, welcome back, everybody. we've covered gray hair, curly hair, black hair, and wigs. but what is the biggest hair trend of the last decade? extensions. celebrity hairstylist tippi shorter is back to tell us everything we want to know about extending our look. hi, tippi. welcome back. >> thank you. >> so why are extensions, why have they suddenly become all the rage? >> well, women just want to have options. so extensions are a really great way to change your look or, you know, try something new without the major commitment. >> so these--a lot that you have on the table are clip-on extensions, is that right? >> they are, which are the easiest ways to add extensions.

because they're super simple. and they are the least expensive, actually. like these bangs here worn by rachel mcadams. you can see them. they're pretty fantastic. what's really great about them is that they have wig clips on the inside. >> right. >> so if you have long hair or short hair or you want to just do a ponytail but you want to add, like, a little drama, i mean, bangs are pretty permanent. so if you're looking to do something temporary. >> and then you cut them and then you end up growing them out, then cutting them, then growing them out. right. >> exactly! and for wavy and curly girls, like, you know, unless you really want to, like, have the hair and then let it grow, keep your hair straight-- like, blowing it out, it gets a little troublesome. so extensions are pretty great. >> now, most of these extensions are synthetic, right? are they expensive? >> these are synthetic. like, the bangs are $29. but they can range up to $150 using human hair. so synthetic is definitely the least expensive route to go. hair can go--like, this piece, for instance, it can go up to $3,000 with human hair. >> wow. really? >> yeah. >> but i also heard that synthetic's a lot easier to maintain. >> it's wash and go. >> you can get real human hair as well, which is costlier, right?

>> it is. synthetic is wash and go. if you can find your color, and literally it's wash and go. >> i understand you have one for me to try on. >> i do. >> oh, gosh. this is so exciting. because, apparently, you feel like a whole new person with these things. so do you need me to help you do anything? >> yeah. this is a half-piece. it's called a halo. so, yes, i'm going to have you hold the top section of your hair up. it's really easy for you to apply yourself, but... >> ok. >> you literally just open up these clips. you don't want it too close to the front because you don't want to see any of the tracks. >> and it just gives you a lot more volume? >> it gives you volume; it gives you body; it gives you highlights. you know, again, if it's something that you wanted to try but didn't want to commit to...all right. all right. what do you guys think?e] >> hit it, boys. [rock music playing] [tippi laughing] >> i do. i have to say i feel a little bit, like, a little bit

of a sex kitten. i'm not gonna lie. >> it's the accessory. you can really, like, change your personality by trying a hair extension. >> let me slip into something more comfortable. >> ha! looks really fantastic! >> thank you, tippi. this was fun. i might hold on to this for a while. so up next, we're going to show you the big reveal. we're gonna find out how our pros transformed those 3 lucky ladies in our hair rescues. that's right after this. [applause]

>> welcome back, everybody. all right. time now for the big makeover reveal. i'm joined in the studio by eva scrivo, celebrity hairstylist and author of "eva scrivo on beauty," who has been the fabulous force behind our hair rescues today. >> thank you. >> eva, thank you so much. did you have fun? >> oh, it was a blast. >> it's so nice to kind of help people's hair dreams come true. >> it is. it's so empowering. >> yeah. so let's see how it turned out. first up we have keisha, who wanted the big chop, but she was a little afraid to go for short hair. let's look at her "before." here's keisha before. >> relaxed for years and started to grow it out naturally and really wanted to embrace that natural texture but didn't know how to work with it. >> i hope she's happy with her new look. >> she is. >> because that could be very ugly. ha ha! so, keisha... >> wait till you see her. >> come on out. come on out, keisha. >> whoo! >> i like it. >> i'm good. i like it. >> how do you feel about it? >> i love it. >> i think it looks beautiful. >> thank you. >> and you look fantastic with short hair. was it a big shock

when you got everything cut off? >> absolutely. it was at first, but i feel like this is so me, you know? yeah. >> yeah. i think it is so you. and is this hair, is it pretty easy to maintain? >> you'd be so surprised, but it all lies in the haircut. so it's really important to get the right shape, learn how to care for it at home. she twists about 1/4-inch sections every night and goes to bed with it wet. lots of hydration for afro american hair. and we created a modern makeup palette for her--a little bit warmer or a little bit softer than she usually wears. and i think she looks great. >> i think you look beautiful, too. all right, keisha, thank you so much. go enjoy that new hair. >> thank you. >> thank you, keisha. ok, next up we have filomena. she was considering embracing her gray, but she was a little bit trepidatious about it. this is how she looked before. and you had to--obviously, you have to do this gradually, right... >> no. we did gray highlights. >> perfect. >> so we integrated her two inches of regrowth. and the danger of that one-toned,

monotone hair color that women get from a box you can see clearly and how much better it actually looks with a gray highlight. so let's bring her out. >> all right. well, filomena, come on down. [applause] >> oh, you look so nice. i love it. here. stand here so we can see you before and after. that looks so--well, you're a beautiful woman. >> oh, thank you. >> she is. >> that looks so nice. >> thank you. >> and how do you feel about this kind of transitional look? >> liberated. >> you do? >> yeah. yeah. it feels good. it feels like i don't have to fuss or worry about how it looks all the time. it's very nice. >> and so is her natural gray gonna grow in now? >> yes... >> so does she have to do this a lot more? >> no. you know, it's not about doing nothing. it's about doing something different when you have gray hair. so every few months, we'll add a few more gray highlights, start the integration process so that she doesn't have to do her roots every 4 weeks. we kept her hair long because that's more who she is. and it has lots of layers and shape. but i must warn you, if you're going to go

gray, make sure you take really good care of your hair and you learn how to do a blowout. because the smoother, the better. >> because your hair is much coarser. and i also know that you do makeup as well. >> yes. >> and you have to wear more intense makeup. for example, when i was gray earlier, i wore more intense lipstick. >> that's right. because gray is a cool-toned color. it's drab. so it drabs our skin. so we warmed filomena's skin tone with a little bit of red in the foundation, a bronzer, and a little bit warmer--lipstick, yeah. >> it looks great. it looks great. filomena, thank you. and finally, we've got gena. gena wanted to have sassy, sexy curly hair, not like she stuck her finger in a light socket. and so she was very funny about this. and so you gave her pretty curls, right? >> yeah. and there are so many misconceptions about curly hair. one is to never brush it. try brushing your hair at night and then wet it in the morning to reform it. it brings the natural oils through. >> all right. let's see gena with her sassy curls. gena, come out here. [applause] oh, look at you!

>> you know, the secret-- >> let me first ask gena how she feels because you were in desperate straits. >> i was. i love it. i don't feel like i have a chia pet on my head. [laughter] >> i think it looks great. >> the secret is to dry the hair with form. so at night, she also twists her hair. even if you put your hair in a french twist for wavy hair, if you dry it with form and not just let it air dry, it has a great shape to it. >> and if it starts to get limp--can i touch it? >> please. >> can you just go like that, like squeeze it? >> think about caressing it. >> caress it. >> don't squeeze it because a scrunched curl is a crushed curl. >> a crushed--is a what? >> a scrunched curl is a crushed curl. so we don't want to break that s-pattern. >> so you caress it? >> caress it. very, very gentle. >> ok. gently caress that hair and enjoy it. >> i will. thank you so much. >> gena, thanks so much. and, eva, thank you so much for doing this. >> oh, thank you. >> all the good ladies look great. and we'll be back with a final thought right after this. [applause]

>> closed captioning for "katie" is provided by... ♪

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she may be the bionic woman. what may be a huge medical advance, a sort of wearable

robot that helps spinal cord injury patients. >> it's being used to help patients at a southern california hospital do what they thought was once impossible. >> gentleman, we can rebuild him. >> for years, we dreamed of the impossible. >> better than he was before. >> dreamed of building a bionic man. >> better. stronger. faster. >> today, those big dreams start with these tiny steps. >> mentally, it's a wonderful feeling to be upright and moving. >> 27-year-old aaron bloom was paralyzed after an accident two years ago, told he would never walk again. now with each step, he's defying the odds. >> right now, i can lift my hands up and put weight on these crutches and feel comfortable. >> it's all thanks to this, the xo bionic suit.

first designed for soldiers to carry heavy roads, it's now being used to help paralyzed patients walk. the company says since they developed the technology, they've helped patients take more than 1 million steps, including some down the wedding aisle. 47-year-old lupe was paralyzed cliff jumping. >> it will change my life. it will make me feel a lot better. >> it took weeks of practice. he knows it's not a perfect cure, but it is one step closer to one. >> i have no doubt in my lifetime they'll be some sort of solution for spinal cord injuries. i firmly believe i'll be able to walk in the future. it's just a matter of time. >> that's certainly fascinating technology when you see that video. someone that cannot walk, straps this on and they're able to walk. but this techn cheap.

it's about $150,000 per suit. in a lot of cases health insurance does not cover it. but how do you say no to somebody who just wants to walk again? >> it's not light, as well. the entire suit weighs 45 pounds. the load, though, is transferred to the ground, so the patient doesn't bear that weight. but who knows what the next 10, 20, 30 years holds? >> think about all the other applications for it. we're getting close to that movie "avatar" are where you can put on a suit and you're doing stuff you could never do before. coming up, expert advice to protect your most expensive christmas presents. >> the santa was generous with high tech gifts, then stick around. our advice might save you some money and some repairs. you're watching "world news now."

♪ so you've unwrapped your presents and santa brought you some high-value gadgets. how do you avoid ruining them? joanna stern is here with some expert advice. good morning. >> good morning. >> i guess the first thing is, i know i probably cracked the ipad the minute i unwrapped it. >> hopefully that doesn't happen. first thing you want to do, get case. seems obvious, but maybe if

you're -- you're saying you're a little -- >> clumsy. >> i didn't want to say it, you said it. get something that's a little more durable. this is a great, great one. this is the super shell for kids. >> i would use it. >> for $35 on this one, this is a new one here from hard candy. this is $50. this has a built-in screen protector. this is one of my new favorite iphone cases. it looks like i'm reading a book. i might be reading the bible, i don't know. you've got an iphone built in and a wallet built in. >> how much does this run? >> this, unfortunately, $60. >> but it's leather? >> it is. smell. real leather. so definitely invest in a good case. it goes a long way. >> and you mentioned the screen

protect protectors. people scratch things all the time. >> if you're like me, i put my phone in my bag. you have keys rubbing on the screen. put a screen protector on and you're able to protect the screen. >> it will prevent scratches. is this expensive to add on to the phone? >> the price is not the big deal, it's the process of putting it on. they're $30 or $40. but putting it on is a little bit of a process. but you can get the hang of it and it goes a long way. >> the other big thing is how to protect yourself and your gear when it comes to password protection. >> that is equally important if not more important. if you lose this, you can lose your deidentity. so first thing, put a password

on it. you can actually draw a pattern, no one else knows that pattern. on the iphone, you can put it in numeric, on android. so make sure you have a good password. >> and what about the search technology if you lose something? >> exactly. so make sure that you set up find my iphone or find my ipad. it's really easy to enable. you enable it under the settings menu. you can do that in android, use a new app called lookout. it's really simple to do. you can see right here, missing devices, it pulls up where you are. so it uses gps. it's safe to use. these services are meant for security. >> and you can always find it if it gets stolen. thank you so much, our abc

technology editor for joining us today. we'll be right back. you're watching "world news now." it's time to change the way we clean.

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vicks nyquil -- powerful nighttime 6-symptom cold & flu relief. ♪ ♪ sleigh bells ring, are you listening ♪ ♪ a beautiful sight, we're happy tonight ♪ ♪ walking in a winter wonderland ♪ welcome back on this morning after christmas. if you ended up with that dreaded fruitcake yet, you may have made a joke or two or even thrown it out. >> i like fruitcake. >> willis likes fruitcake. but i don't know if he's going to like this fruitcake. our british friends, who enjoy a pudding made with cow giblets. for a look, here's abc's nick

watt with the dish. >> the pudding. >> reporter: the christmas pudding has been a fixture on british tables for centuries. even before in a christmas carol. >> looks like the best you've ever made, my dear. >> reporter: christmas pudding is basically a sloppy fruitcake. mix it up months in advance and it matures. >> we keep our pudings for a year, even two years. they're wonderful. >> reporter: christmas morning, brits can't get enough of it. and suppliers to the queen, they fly off the shelves at $60 a pop. but strangely, there's not much of an export market. >> other nationalities don't real question get this. >> reporter: american traditions

can be traced back to the early settlers. >> christmas pudding was banned by the puritans because it was considered an invention of babylon. >> alcohol, fruits, almonds, and steaming as much as possible. >> reporter: that's the "nightline" producer in london. >> it's much better than fruitcake. >> good. could use more cinnamon. >> reporter: add cinnamon. do whatever you like to it. just try it. around my house, the morning after christmas, we fry the leftover pudding in a pan, with brandy butter. it doesn't get much more unhealthy. it doesn't get much better. i'm nick watt. in london. >> yeah. that brings us to our facebook

question of the day.

this morning on "world news now," deadly storms. at least 15 tornadoes tear their way across the south at the worst possible time on christmas. >> from powerful winds to relentless snowstorms, mother nature is not cooperating with millions of holiday travelers. it's wednesday, december 26. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning, you're looking at a couple of pretty unfamiliar faces. i'm brandi hitt. in for paula faris. >> it is the morning after christmas and all through abc, the only people still working are brandi, the crew, willis back there. there he is, and me. i've been waiting a week to say that. i had to get that out there. i am muhammad lila in for rob

nelson, who is on a break. we'll bring you up to date on the wrath of that terrible weather and find out which areas of the country could get hit next. our other big story from western new york, the firefighters killed in a cruel, cruel christmas ambush. we'll tell you what the dead suspect left behind. >> pretty chilling when we get more details about what happened in new york. also this morning, the movie showcasing the takedown of osama bin laden. did hollywood overstep its bounds here? the film is getting plenty of buzz. there's also a lot of sharp criticism. and later this half hour, what jessica simpson wanted everyone to know and the unusual way she conveyed that message. that's later coming up in "the skinny." first, a string of december tornadoes tore through several gulf states on christmas day, killing at least three people. >> now that storm system is moving east with winds and snow. winter storm watches and warnings are posted in nearly half the nation. alabama appeared to take a direct hit from several of those

tornadoes. abc's president gutman reports this morning from mobile. >> oh, my god, look, that's a tornado. >> reporter: overnight, dozens of christmas tornadoes trampled across the south. first, pounding texas. then touching down in louisiana, blasting through homes in mississippi. and wreaking havoc in mobile. a wide full cloud was filmed barreling across the city, lightning flashing inside like giant christmas ornaments. >> wow! look at that. >> reporter: at least 15 reported twisters spawned by a storm marching all the way from california. the tornadoes triggering these explosions, tossing trailers. >> we've got a lot of damage, people hurt. >> we've had homes that are 90% destroyed. >> reporter: the midtown area of mobile fully blacked out, lit only by the lights of police cruisers. this morning, about 20,000 mobile residents are still without power. over 100,000 across the state. dazed residents pick through

debris as rescue workers search for people trapped in the rubble. the punishing wind mangling the graceful homes. matt gutman, abc news, mobile, alabama. early on christmas day, a houston area man died after a tree fell right on his pickup truck. strong winds apparently brought the tree down and crushed the 25-year-old victim. he was trying to move another tree that fell when he was hit. winds brought down power lines leaving thousands in the park. as abc's mark greenblatt reports, this storm dumped snow just to the north. >> reporter: in oklahoma, a massive christmas morning crash closed down all holiday traffic heading west on interstate 40. 21 vehicles piled up, one on top of the next. and blizzard conditions blanketed much of the midwest and beyond. snowplows had to clear roads as far south as lubbock, texas. bad news for the increasing number of people taking to the roads this week. >> it's the most people traveling for the holiday in six

years. >> reporter: in maryland, black ice froze traffic, stramdzing holiday drivers there. one wife got a stuck car moving but wouldn't risk stopping again, even to let her husband back in the car. others couldn't get moving again. >> i had to stop. when i did, it was as far as i went. >> reporter: traveling home in the coming days could become more treacherous. mark greenblatt, abc news, new york. >> the worst possible news there at the worst possible time. very difficult to hear. millions of travelers just trying to get home. >> andrew shows us the trouble spots now. good morning, andrew. >> good morning, muhammad and brandi. unfortunately our storm system still very much a problem, strengthening still this morning. a round of thunderstorms from jacksonville, florida through virginia beach, some of them turning very strong. even a tornado threat into eastern carolinas. the winter weather aspect still very much a problem, as well across the lower midwest. blizzard-like conditions in central indiana and a little mix

of rain, sleet and snow around 7:00 a.m. along the mason-dixon line north of interstate 80. muhammad and brandi, back to you. >> thank you, andrew. >> you talk about the tornadoes. this storm has potential to be one of the christmas day tornado outbreaks on record. and now there's more danger as andrew just mentioned as the storm moves east. >> and the blizzard, very dangerous. when you hear law enforcement put out the warnings that say if you don't have to go on the roads, don't go on the roads. sometimes we take that for grant it. but these warnings are there for a reason. if you don't have to be out, if you don't have to be traveling, stay home and enjoy the holidays with the family. >> good advice right now. that same storm system dumped several feet of snow on california over the weekend, causing avalanches. and now we're told a second person has die. veteran ski paroler bill foster was burr yesterday about eight minutes after the avalanche got out of hand. a snowboarder in another resort also died in a separate avalanche. the tahoe area ended up getting several feet of snow over the

wmd creating those dangerous conditions. our more major story this morning, some disturbing details about the christmas eve killings of two firefighters in rochester, new york. they are included in a letter typed by the killer allegedly on a typewriter and found by police. >> reporter: the trap that killed two firefighters and injured three other first responders was set by this man, convicted felon william spangler. he may have also killed his sister. police discovered human remains in the burnt out home they shared. at the scene, police found a chilling note, read in part by the police chief. >> i still have to get ready to see how much of the neighborhood i can burn down and do what i like doing best, killing people. end quote. >> reporter: the chief says the note makes clear spangler's intent. but his motive for murdering the volunteer firefighters is still unknown. what is known is the 62-year-old

served 17 years in prison for killing his grandmother with a hammer. it's illegal for convicted felons to own guns, but he had three weapons in his arsenal, including a bushmaster semiautomatic rifle, a weapon similar to the one used in the sandy hook elementary massacre. >> he armed himself heavily and immediately started firing on first responders. essentially, it was combat conditions. >> reporter: the two most seriously injured firefighters remain in intensive care, though in stable condition. john ritter, the officer who was the first to engage the gunman, was treated and released. >> we'll get through it. >> reporter: the community gathered together at the webster firestation to show support and pay respects. >> it could be you, it could be

me. >> reporter: aaron katersky, abc news, new york. >> we just learned that president obama will have a shorter hawaiian vacation than originally planned. mr. obama and the first lady traveled to a marine base in hawaii yesterday to visit with service members and their families. tonight, the president will make the long flight back to washington to resume negotiations to avoid that fiscal cliff. congress will also be returning on thursday, and we will finally see if they can come together and make an agreement. >> and the clock is ticking. we are now just days away. and the one thing we often forget, this fiscal cliff, this isn't some small cliff we're talking about. this is like road runner, wylie coyote way off that cliff. you come off that cliff, it is a long way off. there are serious consequences for all of this. >> spending cuts, taxes raised across the board. and the president was hoping that everyone could cool off, drink some eggnog, spend some time with the family. and when you get back

to washington on thursday, let's hammer it out. but a lot of people are saying it doesn't look like it may happen at all. >> a lot of people will be celebrating on new years. when we wake up january 1, there might be a lot of upset people. >> we shall see. in other very important news, perhaps the most important news of the night, trenton, ladies and gentlemen, remains in the hands of the hessians. yeah, george washington didn't cross the delaware this morning with his troops on christmas day, in case you're wondering. no, this is not historical footage. they did not win the battle of tren. the annual re-enactment takes place -- or is supposed to take place yesterday didn't happen because the weather made the conditions too dangerous. >> the actual crossing in 1776 was a big turning point in the revolutionary war. and yesterday, general washington still gave his speech and the soldiers still boarded the boat, they just didn't cross the delaware. they still looked good, though. >> imagine if the weather was bad that day in real life. what would they say?

guy, weather is bad, let's just go back. >> buck up. that's what they would say. coming up, a hollywood a-lister makes a career decision and this decision has nothing to do with the movie. hollywood's drama about the takedown of osama bin laden is really raising some serious questions about this now. you're watching "world news now." [ dog barking ] ♪ [ female announcer ] life is full of little tests, but your basic paper towel can handle them. especially if that towel is bounty basic. the towel that's durable, and scrubbable. in this lab demo, bounty basic is stronger than the leading bargain brand. everyday life? bring it with bounty basic. the strong but affordable picker-upper... now costs even less.

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welcome back. the movie "zero dark thirty" looks at the gripping ten-year search for osama bin laden, including some scenes of torture. >> and the movie is now drawing criticism from the acting cia director. it's an edge of your seat thriller that's now an edge of your seat controversy. "zero dark thirty" re-creates

the manhunt for osama bin laden. brand turning a ten-year search into a thrilling 2 1/2 hours. while fans are calling it a hit -- what did you think of the film? >> loved it. >> loved it. >> thought it was great. >> yeah, it was powerful. >> reporter: critics are on the attack. in a rare public statement, the acting cia director accuses the film of taking significant artistic license, emphasizing it's not a realistic portrayal of the facts. >> i'm not your friend. i'm not going to help you. i'm going to break you. >> reporter: his biggest attack, the movie's harsh interrogation scenes. waterboarding, suggesting torture played a key role in finding osama bin laden. the cia acknowledges that some intelligence did come from those so-called enhanced techniques. but there were many other sources, as well. >> to portray this as our only way to get intelligence does a disservice to this country and the american people, period.

>> reporter: for their part, the film's creators say it's not a documentary and not supposed to be. in an interview with martha raddatz, they say the film is based on authentic information, right down to the inside of bin laden's compound, gleaned from exclusive abc news footage. >> it was all based on firsthand accounts. so it felt very vivid and vital and very immediate, which is very exciting as a filmmaker. >> it's really interesting. a hollywood movie is bringing out this debate over the use of torture. it's an important debate that has to be had, but the cia, the criticism from the cia, they're not the only ones criticizing this. senator john mccain who himself was tortured as a p.o.w., says we think this movie glamorizes the role of torture and they insist that is not what happened and not the main reason why they were able to get to osama bin laden. >> and leon panetta said when he was the cia chief they did use enhanced interrogation

techniques. i remember when this film was postponed. it was supposed to be released in october, but they thought it would help the president win re-election. and so they waited until after the election to then release the film instead of doing it in october. >> are you going to see it? >> i'm interested. i think what we do in this business, i'm interesting to see how hollywood is going to portray it. i'm just curious. >> as our viewers know, i cover that region, pakistan and afghanistan for abc news. i guarantee they are not running that film in any theater in either of those countries. so if i'm going to see it, it's going to be here. >> bet ore do it here before they send you back to cover the news in pakistan. coming up, one way to tell the world that you're expecting a new family member. and coming up, after that, the one part of the show you don't want to miss, the pro athlete putting more skin into the skinny. we'll explain it all, next. athlete putting more skin into the skinny. we'll explain it all, next.

♪ skinny, so skinny

thank you, willis. yes, it is time for "the skinny." the skinny is in the house and on this day after christmas, we have baby news in "the skinny." i don't know if it's news because everyone has been talking about this for the past week, but now it's confirmed. we're talking about jessica simpson. she's having another baby and she confirmed it. we've been talking about this for several days. it's interesting the way she's confirmed that she's pregnant. she tweeted this photo we're about to show you, and it's of her daughter with big sis below, saying she's about to become a big sister. so jessica simpson pregnant with her second child. what's interesting too, she had just been paid $4 million by weight watchers to lose the weight from the first baby and dropped 50 pounds. now she's going to have a second baby, which she'll probably get

another $4 million to lose the baby weight from the second baby. next, you could call this the battle of the bickering directors. spike lee talking about "django unchained coming up." want to show you a tweet he sent out. he said, american slavery was not the spaghetti western. it was a holocaust. my ancestors are slaves stolen from africa. i will honor them. of course, that is a direct shot to quentin tarantino. spike lee, no stranger to controversy. of course, he's also said some things about this film, he's made some very, very strong films with african-american leads. he's come out and said i think for me, i'm not going to -- i think for me it would be disrespectful to my ancestors to see that film. so spike lee speaking out very vocally about this. >> a lot of stars in the film, too. you have a lot of hollywood a-listers. >> and there's a little history

there between quentin tarantino and spike lee. somehow spike lee found time to get into this controversy while sitting courtside watching the new york knicks. >> so the next story is one that we -- has everyone talking. >> we've been talking about this during the break. what would a late night news cast be without another sex tape? as soon as i said that, can you hear that? that is the sound of every single one of our male viewers getting out pen and paper to see if we are going to give them the url. we are not. but here is the latest sex tape. it has to do with chad ocho cinco. that's right. apparently he's starring in a sex tape leaked online. there's a celebrity website, world star hip-hop put out the footage. no idea exactly who was in the tape except for chad ocho cinco. and apparently some sources close to him have said it was shot roughly three years ago, that he had nothing to do with it being leaked. not that it matters.

i somehow suspect this may, in some weird, twisted way, reenergize his career. >> really? it's going to help him with football? i don't know. >> it will sell some tickets. >> maybe. finally in "the skinny" ben affleck not running for u.s. senate. everyone was talking about this, is he going to take over for senator john kerry, now that he's up for bids on the secretary of state with hillary clinton leaving. nope, he's not. he went to facebook and said he's not interested and will not be running for public office but will continue to work with the eastern congo initiative, which is an organization that he has been talking a lot about. but it's interesting to see the celebrities getting into politics. there's also that rumor about ashley judd running for senator. not happening in massachusetts. >> sorry, i'm just googling that video we were talking about. >> we're going to go to break.

remember to come back after the break. we'll be right back. we'll be right back.

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♪ what seemed the magic slipped away ♪ ♪ we find it all on christmas day ♪ welcome back. i'm sure you saw the movie all day yesterday, the bully from the holiday classic "a christmas story" was in a real grownup fight, the kind that involves a lot of lawyers. >> he's known as one of the most famous bullies of all time, but he claims the tables have turned with corporate america now bullying him. abc's mark greenblatt has all the details. >> what, are you going to cry now? >> reporter: zach ward, probably one of the most famous and feared bullies of all time, scott farkus, the nemesis to

ralphie in "the christmas story." but in real life ward claims he's being bullied by the maker of a board game patterned after that 1983 holiday classic. he's suing the national entertainment collectibles association for fraud, claiming the company used his image without permission and without paying him. >> it's not the way you're supposed to treat people, and in my gut, it just felt unfair and it was the perfect example of being bullied. >> reporter: ward says he did given permission for a seven-inch action figure to be made in the likeness of farkus. a role for which he just took home $5,000. but he claims the organization never mentioned the board game. >> i had never been told about this. i was shocked, absolutely shocked. >> reporter: his lawsuit quotes e-mails from the movie studio like this one, warning the board game maker you cannot ship this product without approval from the actor. >> they expected me to roll

over, suck my thumb and go home. and complain and whine about it but really do nothing. and i just couldn't do that. >> reporter: but the manufacturer's lawyer says, we had his consent. this has been a manufacturer's story from the beginning. but does concede they owe ward royalties. sometimes it does pay to fight back. mark greenblatt, abc news, new york. >> and we have an important update on that story for all of you. abc news was recently told that the two parties have settled the lawsuit, but details haven't been released. >> the attorney for the board game says it did get permission to use that image in the game, but admits the actor was owed royalties. we'll be right back. e actor was owed royalties. we'll be right back.